The exploration and production of hydrocarbons require the use of numerous types of tubulars, also referred to as pipe. Tubulars include but are not limited to drill pipes, casings, and other threadably connectable elements used in well structures. Strings of joined tubulars, or drill strings, are often used to drill a wellbore and, with regards to casing, prevent collapse of the wellbore after drilling. These tubulars are normally assembled in groups of two or more commonly known as “stands” to be vertically stored in the derrick or mast. The derrick or mast may include a storing structure commonly referred to as a fingerboard. Fingerboards typically include a plurality of vertically elongated support structures or “fingers” each capable of receiving a plurality of “stands.”
Rotary Drilling and Top Drive drilling systems often use these stands, instead of single tubulars, to increase efficiency of drilling operations by reducing the amount of connections required to build the drill string in or directly over the wellbore. The manipulation of tubulars from a horizontal to a vertical position, assembly of stands and presentation of stands between the fingerboard and wellcenter, however, are dangerous and can be rather inefficient operations.
Conventional rigs are arranged to provide a racker device that moves between fingerboards along an access path extending between a rig v-door and well-center. When properly positioned, the racker may reach laterally to engage or grasp a stand within the fingerboard. Carrying the stand, the racker may then travel from a position between the fingerboards toward well-center to present the stand to well-center.
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods that overcome one or more of the shortcomings of the prior art.